Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communications System

The Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communications System ( JWICS ) is a global system of interconnected over backbone routers connected computer networks. It is used within the intelligence agencies of the Defense Ministry, Foreign Ministry, Ministry of Internal Security, etc. of the United States, which are summarized in the United States Intelligence Community.

The JWICS is part of the Defense Information System Network and use herein of such information, subject to the highest level of secrecy. By JWICS such information should be protected in their distribution with packet switching method using the Internet Protocol TCP / IP against data espionage. Because JWICS also provides services such as hypertext documents and e-mail, it can be considered as a variant of the Internet, which is used to transmit such information, which of the secrecy level Top Secret ( Top Secret ) subject or as a Sensitive Compartmented Information ( SCI) to are treated.

The JWICS replaced mid-1990s in what was then on Arpanet technology-based Defense Data Network ( DDN) the subnets DSNET -2 (Defense Secure Network -2, the level of secrecy Top Secret ) and DSNET -3 ( for Top Secret / Sensitive Compartmented Information ). In addition to the DSNET -2 and DSNET -3 DDN from the DSNET -1 was for secret data and the Military Network ( MILNET ) for information which were not subject to secrecy level.

According to a research of the Washington Post have 854,000 people in ministries and administrations, as well as private military service providers access to information from the JWICS network. The JWICS is supplemented by the approved for information to the second highest level of secrecy Secret Secret Internet Protocol Router Network ( SIPRNet ), to the estimated 300,000 people from direct access and up to 2.5 million people indirectly to information access, as well as by the non- classified Internet Protocol Router Network ( NIPRNet ) for sensitive, but not classified as secret information.